Question about an airport connection in Rome
 

I'm booked on a flight next week from Venice to New York with a connection in Rome. I have never flown into Rome (FCO) before so I have no familiarity with the airport. I have 1 hour, 45 minutes to make the connection. I know that I will fly into Terminal A and depart from Terminal C. I'm assuming there's some type of shuttle or tram service? Will I need to go through Passport Control or through security a second time?

I'm just trying to make this as easy as possible so doing my homework ahead of schedule.

We did this last year. We were on Alitalia. Agents met our plane at the gate and got the groups together that were connecting escorted everyone in groups to the next flight. It was quite a long walk, and we did have to wait on line at passport control. They took us to passport control, waited for us to clear, and then continued escorting us the rest of the way. We had to stay with the group. I think we had about the same time between flights, and it was enough.

I should probably add that the folks at Alitalia have NO idea what I'm talking about.

No shuttle or tram service between A and C that I can recall, but you should have enough time to walk it, especially if you get the Rome-NY boarding card when you check in at Venice. Don't expect passport formalities on the flight that is entirely within Italy; you'll do that in Rome as you leave the country (and all you do is walk past a guard who will probably ignore you as he stamps your passport).
I think you'll go through security screening again before you enter the international departures area, where you board the tram to the Terminal C gates.

This map from the Rome Airports website may be helpful (or maybe not):

http://www.adr.it/content.asp?L=3&IdMen=202

Thanks Kayd. I do have their airport terminal map. I wish they would give more information on making connections within the airport. I guess that's why I look to everyone here!

Don't worry about what Alitalia tells you, your're speaking to reservation people. The airport operations were pretty well organized, they had 3 agents at our gate when we landed, all holding signs with different connecting cities--one for NY, one for Boston, and one for another city. They waited for everyone to deplane, and then led us the entire way as a group. You won't have a problem. Even if they did not do this, it's very easy, things are well marked, you won't have a problem.

One more comment. As I recall, they took us as a group so we did not have to again clear security. We did wait in line at passport control, but I believe we did not have to go through security again, as the agent led us through. (I may be wrong about that, but that is my recollection.)

Alitalia met us with our names a sign and drove us to the next gate.

Hi S,

1:45 hr to go through passport control is fine.

Make sure that your luggage has been booked through to Venice, and yu have your Rome boarding pass when you leave NYC.

Have a nice visit.

((I))

I find all this business about Alitalia meeting you at Terminal A and taking you to Terminal C a bit difficult to believe - unless you are part of a group.

If you are traveling as an individual, rather than following the signs that take you up and down a hundred escalators, get out of Terminal A as soon as you can and take the outside sidewalk - to your right - to Terminal C.

You will have to go through passport control, but it will not be for the second time, since your Venice-Rome flight is an internal flight. Passport control, as someone has mentioned, takes very little time. You will have to go through security a second time, but there are generally very many lines, and it also goes quickly.

The above presumes, of course, that your luggage has been checked through from Venice to your final destination.

We weren't part of a group. It was just myself and my wife. Like I said, they met the plane with 3 agents and escorted all people connecting to those flights. Like I said, you'd have no problem finding your way, but I think that if you went on your own, you'd have to wait in line for security when you got to the new terminal, which we did not have to do.